IdN v17n5: Wayfinding+Signage — The Wayfinders

Most graphic-design courses these days involve at least one way-finding/signage assignment, but relatively few designers choose to go into the discipline full-time. In this enlightening feature, we have asked some 14 path-finders studios and individuals, first-timers and old hands to tell us what it is about pointing people in the right direction that so appeals to them. And to explain the challenges and pitfalls as well as the satisfactions involved.

Contents:

Type in Motion: The moving finger writes and, having writ, moves on
The Wayfinders: Showing us the way forward
Japan: Sons (and daughters) of the rising sun
Playback: Technical necessity is the mother of artistic invention
Pick of the Month

Specifications:

Type in Motion

The moving finger writes and, having writ, moves on.

Does moving type move you? Kinetic typography has become almost as crucial a weapon for motion designers as typography itself is for their graphic-design counterparts. In this DVD Collection, we bring together some 35 motion works that involve text that moves be it scrolling, dynamic or fluid, as the different techniques are known. One movie-maker even predicts that a kinetic approach will be brought to bear as part of the new technology that is changing the face of print publication iPads, Kindles and the like. The idea of words and letters that change shape or colour as you read them has been around for more than 100 years, but it could be on the verge of its biggest breakthrough yet.

The Wayfinders

Showing us the way forward

Most graphic-design courses these days involve at least one way-finding/signage assignment, but relatively few designers choose to go into the discipline full-time. Those that do find the challenge of working within very clearly defined parameters as stimulating as the instant feedback they receive from seeing how the public reacts to their directional creativity. And whether it is in architectural or graphic way-finding, a director's work is likely to be around for a lot longer than most other kinds of commissions. In this enlightening feature, we have asked some 14 path-finders studios and individuals, first-timers and old hands to tell us what it is about pointing people in the right direction that so appeals to them. And to explain the challenges and pitfalls as well as the satisfactions involved. The interview answers are set amid examples of the work in question. We think you will enjoy the journey.

Creative Country: Japan

Sons (and daughters) of the rising sun

Japan has long been recognised as a giant of the design world, with its uniquely influential contributions such as manga and anime, but is the identity of its leading artists becoming increasingly blurred as globalisation via the Internet takes hold in what was once a very insular society? We asked a dozen top Japanese creatives for their answer to this and other questions, including some who have made their names far beyond the borders of their birthplace. Your image of the design scene in Japan could be in for some drastic revision!

Featuring:

Playback

Technical necessity is the mother of artistic invention

UK-based short-film-makers George Wu and Emma Fitzgerald both believe in a back-to-basics approach to their craft. They find that the painstaking work involved in eschewing all the latest technology often leads to solutions that have greater relevance to the concept and hence results in work that is more profound.